Daily Regulatory Notes 08/05/2025
Cities address STRs. Avon Lake, OH enforces moratorium; Newport Beach, CA finalizes rules; Sandpoint, ID steps up enforcement; Newberg, OR votes on policies; Knoxville, TN reviews regulation. READ MORE.
Avon Lake has instituted a 90-day moratorium on new short-term rental properties as it prepares to develop regulations aimed at balancing STR use with neighborhood preservation.
The temporary halt follows rising local concern about the impact of short-term rentals, particularly the potential for noise, safety issues, and disruption to residential character. An ad hoc committee of councilmembers has been working for nearly a year to draft preliminary legislative language, although no ordinance has been formally introduced or read yet. Existing registered STRs—fewer than 20—are allowed to continue but will be subject to any new rules adopted in the coming months. City council expects to revisit the topic after summer break, committing to a full three-reading process to gather community input.
Newport Beach moved a step closer to finalizing updates to its short-term rental rules after the City Council voted unanimously to adopt changes requested by the California Coastal Commission, including how STRs in two coastal mixed-use zones are counted toward the citywide 75-unit cap.
The Commission asked that homes built before 2010 in those zones count against the cap—leaving just 56 permits available—and also emphasized protecting beach parking. Residents at the July 22 meeting raised concerns over the continued 20-unit threshold required to obtain an STR permit in the coastal zones. The council’s changes will return for a final vote on August 26, after which the Coastal Commission is expected to give final approval by October.
Sandpoint’s City Council is stepping up its approach to short-term rental oversight, tackling concerns about permit waitlist language and lax penalties for non-compliance.
At the July 30 meeting, officials highlighted that applicants on the STR waitlist aren’t charged until they’re removed from the list—a point they fear is poorly communicated. In addition, the council floated the idea of raising the existing $100 per day fine for operating without a permit, suggesting it may be too low to effectively discourage violations.
Newberg’s City Council moved closer to reshaping its short-term rental policies with a key vote on August 4, approving a shift from the city’s conditional use process to a streamlined, staff-approved special use permit and implementing tougher operational rules.
The updated ordinance capped STRs at 2% of city households, required platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo to collect and remit lodging taxes, tightened off-street parking and permit transfer rules, and mandated that operators provide yearly “good neighbor” notices and live within 40 miles. At the time, the city had documented at least 87 short-term rentals, with evidence suggesting some were operating without permits or tax payments
Knoxville City Council is once again facing pressure from residents over the city’s ongoing struggle to enforce short-term rental regulations, particularly around non-resident landlords operating in local neighborhoods.
Despite earlier steps like requiring affidavits to verify that STR owners live in Knoxville, residents continue to report listings that suggest otherwise, with some even openly advertising homes as ideal for tourists. During a recent council meeting, officials acknowledged the lingering enforcement gaps and expressed concern that these violations are eroding the intent behind current ordinances.
In case you missed it:
Genelaine Urbano
READ: Daily Regulatory Notes 08/04/2025
STRisker Document Analysis
Finding the right compliance documents shouldn’t feel like searching for a needle in a haystack - STRisker’s Documents Analysis is built to simplify your life, offering instant access to hundreds of thousands of documents from thousands of cities across the US.
👍 We’d love your feedback.
Which stories hit? Which ones missed?
We're constantly refining Daily Notes to make it even more useful for you.
✉️ Just reply directly to this email. We read and respond to every message!
-Will McClure
🙋 P.S.
Know someone else who should be reading Daily Notes? Feel free to forward this along. We’re opening a few more spots.